My desire to ensure environmental sustainability.

Point blank on environmental issues.

Monday, 15 June 2015

Sorting garbage in Japan

When I was doing
my undergraduate and studied waste management units, I never knew that one day,
I will experience it in real life. I remember cramming (better still, mastering)
the types of wastes; industrial, municipal and further divide them into
organic, inorganic, hazardous, non-hazardous…a lot of Chemistry there! Yeah? I
loved the theoretical part, when my professor could emphasize that all waste
should sorted into respective categories for easy management; fact! Right? We
(or at least I) have to agree that sorting garbage is quite a hectic
undertaking, depending on where and/or how one was brought up. Although I used
to sort garbage (sometimes), the
Japanese experience was totally on another level, and I think you would like to
hear about it.

Notably, there
are specific days of the week that various types of garbage are collected; that
tells you that garbage is collected more than once a week (actually, I see the
garbage trucks almost every day!). So, how frequent is waste collected in your
place (or, is it even collected)? Garbage
sorting in Japan is such a serious activity that even a water bottle needs to
be separated into three parts; 1) the bottle that is categorized as a PET (an
abbreviation of along chemical name!), 2) the bottle top and 3) sticker that
are categorized as plastic. I guess this it to avoid re-sorting at the waste management
sites. Dispose the bottle on Monday (月) and please keep the plastics for Friday
(金).
By the way, if you mix the garbage, be sure that it will not be collected! I
remember in the first few days in my apartment, I could see “Please sort your
garbage” stickers somewhere (please note:
it wasn’t me!). You have to sit down,
and figure out what kind of waste should go into what waste bag; the food
remains/wastes and other burnable materials into the brown waste bag, plastics
into the green waste bag and the process continues. This is just a level of it
is own!

This practice
kept me wondering if it is possible to get to such sophisticated a level, when
we do not even have a clear waste collection and management chain. Right now,
the priority may not be emphasizing on sorting different kinds of wastes, but I
am sure if the implementation of existing laws is done, everything will fall
into place. Off course, that notwithstanding, we, the people should realize
that nature is all that we have, and we should collectively protect it. This
means that I (you) should take care of own garbage; do not throw that water bottle
on the roadside, keep those sweet/chipo/food
wrappings and dispose them in the right place. That little discipline will go a
long way to ensure a cleaner, safer and healthy environment for us in the
present and the future lives.

Profile

Nature never forgives nor does it forget; I love it (nature) for that, cause it is the ultimate truth! I believe writing/talking about it, can save us from that wrath and help conserve it. So, I have decided to write...please help me read it. I promise you lots of creative work; poetry, stories, fiction...articles! Feel motivated to come back for more :)